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PHOENIX -- If you live in Arizona to avoid the harsh winter weather that other parts of the country are forced to endure, this week's cold temperatures may have left you feeling a little grumpy. As the mercury dipped into the 20s in the suburbs you may have thought...what if it snows? Well that's not very likely. A thousand miles to our north, however, it's a different story.

November went out with a blustery bang in the Pacific Northwest a an early winter storm brought freezing rain, snow and strong winds to parts of Oregon and Western Washington. Many residents were surprised last week as businesses were forced to close and freeway travel crawled to a stop in many areas.

The images in this photo gallery include submissions from local residents in and around Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon as well as news photos from our sister-sites KGW.com and KING5.com in Portland and Seattle respectively.